.jpg "2016-NCAAB-South-Elite-Eight-Odds")
It's really tough to argue with either the Kansas Jayhawks or the Villanova Wildcats right now. Both teams have absolutely dominated their opponents here in the NCAA Tournament to reach the Elite Eight, and whichever team wins this game when the two are sharing the court at the KFC Yum! Center on Saturday night will certainly have earned that trip to Houston for the Final Four.
All of the Elite Eight games will feature great NCAA Tournament odds at BookMaker.eu.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
One team has covered each of its spreads by at least two touchdowns. The other has three victories by at least a dozen points. Not that it really matters which team is which with accolades like that, but Villanova and Kansas respectively have had nothing to complain about.
Villanova has had one game versus Iowa in which it got off to a ridiculously hot start, but in the case of its other two games, it was a huge second run extended run which got it over the hump.
Kansas has typically been very good in the first halves of games, though it took the defense frustrating the heck out of Melo Trimble and the Maryland offense in the second half to finally pull away in the Sweet 16.
The one common thread for these teams though, is that neither has had one of these 25-3 runs to blow open a game. Live bettors should be ready for sustained pressure by both sides along the way in this one, knowing that they've each had long dominant stretches rather than the short demoralizing spurts.
KEY MATCHUP
This is two straight games now that teams with very good backcourts have been completely neutralized against the Kansas guards. Shonn Miller, Daniel Hamilton and Sterling Gibbs combined to shoot just 10-of-33 from the field for UConn, while Maryland shot just 5-of-25 from beyond the arc. Trimble shot just 5-of-16 from the floor, and he had to settle for a ton of jumpers in a matchup against Frank Mason.
When you think of the guard play for Kansas, you think of strong point guards who make great decisions with the basketball and facilitate. However, these two guys have been awesome defensively in recent games, and that could be key for live bettors.
Ryan Arcidiacono loves to slash to the basket, and though Kris Jenkins had a great day from three-point range against Miami, his game is only complete when the guards are able to get towards the hoop and kick the ball out.
Live bettors should watch this trend closely. All too often, the Jayhawks are forcing teams deep into the shot clock and making them make tough decisions with the ball. They're not creating gobs of turnovers, but that isn't needed when you're holding teams to 40.0 percent shooting as was the case against the Terrapins.
KEY STATS & TRENDS
Since the start of February, Kansas is 9-0 SU and 7-2 ATS in games which Perry Ellis scores at least 19 points. That's held true here in the dance as well, as his dominance has led to three straight covers. In all three instances, Ellis has scored at least 21 points.
Live bettors have to look at Villanova's three games with at least 86 points scored and think that it's all about the offense. However, the Wildcats have the best points per possession ratio in the NCAA Tournament, and they just dropped 92 on a great Miami defense in the second-slowest game in the entire dance per pace. The only game slower was the 47-43 Wisconsin win over Pittsburgh. The Wildcats had more points in this one than the Panthers had by themselves.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go.
Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! The Sweet 16 matchup between the Villanova Wildcats and Kansas Jayhawks will go down Saturday, March 26, 2016 at 8:49 p.m. ET at the KFC Yum! Center. The matchup will be televised live on CBS.
